A good fall of migrants around the fields by our place this morning ...
68. Tree Pipit
One migrating over this morning.
Had an amazing day today, all together 15 Com.Buzzards in the air at once, then thereafter, male and female Common Redstart (separates), two Spot Flys. together, a Whinchat and to round it off...a flyover Lesser-spotted Woodpecker ! The downside to this fantastic hour and a half was....It all took place outside my garden about ''half a bloody mile away'' :-C
You have all our sympathies Ken I'm sure (I've also seen several species (10 in fact!)within a mile of the garden but not in/from it so far this year, grrr).
Still a near-mega this afternoon on another lovely afternoon for sky watching, only my second ever Osprey here, migrating very high south west.
(To show how we're just off the main migration highway here, 30 miles away by the Rhone west of Geneva they've already clocked up 62 Ospreys migrating in the past 18 days!)
82 Osprey
a fantastic new garden bird for me, with three Kingfishers perched by our pond. It takes me up to 67 species in the garden this year.
73) Yellow Wagtail! and a garden first taking the all time Garden List to 115. :bounce:
Splendid :t:
Haven't had any additions over the last week or so, but an excellent raptor passage in recent days - best autumn on my land so far for White-tailed Eagles, with seven over in the last week, plus an Osprey, several Lesser Spotted Eagles, an enormous female Goshawk, one Kestrel, a couple of Hobbies and a steady trickle of Common Buzzards and Sparrowhawks.
Top of the lot, however, Red-footed Falcons! After one a couple of weeks ago, had another last week, then a totally unexpected four together on Saturday! On my plot. I have never seen more than one in any year before (and most years, it is zero), so right chuffed with this lot!
Two more for me:
74) Honey-buzzard
75) Whinchat
....a fantastic addition to my garden today:
fortunately some hirundines still remain and their alarms had me frantically scanning the sunny skies for an age until a distant
MERLIN !!!
was hurtling at an incredible rate up the valley opposite!
Meadow pipits were going beserk and every small bird seemed to be in the air.
Two Buzzards immediately after.
oh yo yo, a little more fan-fair does no.74 deserve ...I mean, a Honey Buzzard from a UK garden and no jumping up and down, just a mere listing alongside '74'
My thoughts too, Jos! If ever I get HB on my garden list it'd be multicoloured text I'd be using!
btw Merlin is no.78.